Thursday, April 21, 2016

Tanzania unveils 100trn/- national development plan

THE government on Wednesday this week unveiled an
ambitious plan that it says will serve as a blueprint for the country's
economic and social development for the next five years. The National
Development Plan 2016/17-2020/21 aims to boost industrialisation and transform
Tanzania into a middle-income country by 2020 by pumping 107 trillion/- of
public investments into the economy. The spending earmarked by President John
Magufuli's government over the next five years has jumped by 150 per cent
compared to the previous development plan of former president Jakaya Kikwete's
administration. The new blueprint titled "Nurturing Industrialisation for
Economic Transformation and Human Development" is the latest indication of
spending plans and priorities of President Magufuli's government over the next
five years. The Minister for Finance and Planning, Dr Philip Mpango, presented
the plan to parliament yesterday and said the Magufuli government's development
blueprint over the next five years will focus on flagship infrastructure projects
such as construction of a standard gauge railway and the revival of the ailing
national flag carrier, Air Tanzania. The current five-year plan
(2011/12-2015/16), which ends in June, has been implemented by just 60 per cent
and had a total estimated budget of 44.5 trillion/-, according to official
government figures. "Some 107 trillion/- is needed to finance the
implementation of the (new) plan and development projects over the next five
years," Mpango said in his presentation to parliament. "This means
that the government will have to spend an average of 21.4 trillion/- each
year." The government has already announced that it plans to raise
spending by 31 per cent in fiscal year 2016/17 starting in July to 29.53
trillion/-. Mpango said Magufuli's government will finance 55 per cent of the
107tr/- required to finance the 2016/17-2020/21 national development plan from
its own resources. "The plan identifies two sources of funding, which are
the government's revenue and non-revenue sources and external loans and
grants," he said. The government said it would also rely on the
participation of the private sector in the implementation of development
projects. The plan expects gross domestic product (GDP) growth to rise to 10
per cent in 2020 thanks to investments in infrastructure projects from 7 per
cent in 2015. It also targets a national per capita income of $1,500 by the
year 2020 from the current levels of $1,006 (2015 figures), which would
catapult Tanzania into middle-income status. "The plan envisages an
increase of foreign direct investment (FDI) inflows into Tanzania from $2.14
billion in 2014 to $5 billion by the year 2020," he said. "The
government also expects tourism earnings to increase from $2 billion in 2014 to
$3.6 billion by 2020." Tourist arrivals are seen jumping from 1.14 million
in 2014 to 2 million within the next four years. Mpango said the government's
goal was to lift millions of Tanzanians out of poverty, noting that the state
will invest heaving in public education, water and health services over the
next five year. He revealed that more than 10 million Tanzanians out of a
population of over 47 million were currently living in conditions of abject
poverty. “Poverty has dropped from 39 per cent of the population in 1992 to
34.4 percent in 2007 and from 28.2 percent in 2012 to 24.5 percent in 2015,” he
said. He pointed out that progress in poverty reduction was a result of
improved housing, transport facilities, mobile phone penetration and ownership
as well as access to better farming inputs. Poverty in Tanzania has been fueled
by poor agricultural yields which remains the economic backbone for the
majority of the population living in rural communities, he said. Mpango told
the National Assembly that government figures show that while there is an army
of around 800,000 men and women joining the labour market annually in Tanzania,
only 200,000 of them actually get jobs. “The government plans to cut national
poverty levels from 28.2 per cent of the population in 2011/12 to 16.7 per cent
in 2020/21,” he said. The national development plan envisions that the
government will reduce the child mortality rate from 81 per every 1,000 live
births in 2014/15 to 45 in 2020/21. Similarly, the maternal mortality rate is
forecast to drop to 250 per every 100,000 live births in 2020 from 432 in 2014.
The finance minister said the government also plans to improve access to clean
and safe water in rural communities to 80 per cent and subsequently increase
electricity access to 60 per cent countrywide from the current 36 per cent. Members
of parliament yesterday started debating the government's second development
plan, which will replace the first plan that ends in June and vote whether or
not to approve the blueprint.

AWARD 1

I won the second prize in policy category of the African Information society Initiative ( AISI) awards 2004 which is annually organized by the United Nations- Economic Commission for Africa ( UNECA) based in Addis-Ababa, Ethiopia. On the first photo above standing with other awardees after the Ceremony at the National Settlers monument in Grahamstown, South Africa.This was during the 8th Highway Africa Conference.The second photo shows the cross section of Jounalists from different African countries who attended the ceremony.

AWARD 2

I also won the AISI-GKP/SDC Media Award special reporting on WSIS process and Africa, and conferred with the award in Tunis, Tunisia during WSIS summit in 2005. See the photo above.

AWARD 3

Winner on the Media Competition on writing about " Stigma denial and Discrimination" associated with HIV/AIDS. This was organized by theAssociation of Journalists Against Aids in Tanzania ( AJAAT). On the Photo above President Jakaya Mrisho Kikwete of Tanzania, ( then the Minister for Foreign Affairs and International Cooperation) was the guest of honour during the award giving ceremony.This was at Maelezo auditorium in Dar-es-Salaam September 2005.

AWARD 4

Winner on the Media Competition on writing about "Vulnerable Children" associated with HIV/AIDS This was organized by the Association of Journalists Against Aids in Tanzania ( AJAAT)

AWARD 5

Winner of the National ICT Media Award organized By SWOPNET in the Country. On the photo above Morogoro Regional Commissioner, Brigadier General ( Rt) Saidi Kalembo was the guest of honour during the award giving ceremony which was held at New Sarvoy Hotel in morogoro town.I was awarded a Mobile phone and a tape-recorder.

AWARD 6

I participated in the Media Competition in writing about VCT (Voluntary Counseling and Testing) in Tanzania which was held between July 15th and October 30th 2008 whereby I emerged among the top five winners. The competition was under the program known as “Tanzania bila Ukwimwi inawezekana” which literally means, Tanzania without AIDS disease transmission is possible”. This is a program which was organizedby the Association of Journalists Against AIDS in Tanzania (AJAAT) under TACAIDS funding. In the photo, I am being presented with a certificate of participation by the Chairman of the Tanzania Commission for AIDS (TACAIDS) Dr. Fatma Mrisho in a colorful ceremony which was held on 22nd December 2008 at Tanzania Information Centre in Dar es Salaam.

AWARD 7

AWARD 8

AWARD 9

I was among the top 17 best selected students who excelled in their final examinations of the 2010/2011 academic year and awarded with the Vice-Chancellor’s prize. I scored 4.5 GPA (First Class) in BA in Journalism. Above I am being given a certificate by the Chairman of the Open University of Tanzania Board of Senate. Standing at the centre facing camera is the Vice-Chancellor, Professor Tolly Mbwette. Extreme left partly hidden is the Deputy Vice-Chancellor (Academic) Professor Elifas Bisanda. This occasion took place during the convocation meeting, a day before the graduation day at the prospective permanent headquarter of the Open University of Tanzania which is currently under construction at Bungo-Kibaha in Coast region 40 kilometers away west of Dar es Salaam city.